False pregnancy in cats is actually caused by a hormonal imbalance in the cat’s body and is related to the corpus luteum formed in the ovaries after the cat has ovulated in heat. Under normal circumstances, if the cat is not conceived, the corpus luteum formed will disappear quickly, and the time for the corpus luteum to secrete progesterone and oestrogen is then relatively short. However, when there is an abnormality in the cat’s body, even though the cat has not conceived, the corpus luteum in the ovary is present for a long time and continues to secrete progesterone and oestrogen, keeping the two hormones in the cat’s body at a level comparable to that of a normal pregnancy, at which point the cat will show symptoms similar to those of pregnancy, which is called false pregnancy.
